The story of the laser teaches an obvious lesson about how even the most useless-seeming scientific discoveries can have an unexpected impact on our lives, but the laser was still invented with at least fuzzy applications in mind. So, let’s go back even further in the history of the laser – to Einstein.

Planet Earth II, the newest BBC wildlife documentary is premiering on BBC America!! If you have BBC, definitely watch! There are also more ways to watch, and you can find out how here. I will definitely be watching!

There is currently a plague of fake news around the U.S. and like many other educators, scientists and citizens, I am increasingly concerned about the impacts this has on the understanding of science for my students and the public at large.

The last several weeks I have spent collecting leaves of my two favorite invasive plants, Viburnum dilatatum and Viburnum sieboldii as part of my dissertation research investigating the genetic diversity of these charismatic plants. My question is how did these plants escape from the comfort of their gardens and go off into the wilds of the forest?